Is it our right to control nature?
We have the means and resources these days to shift entire ecosystems if we
felt like it. We could play god in the world in which we live in but our
purposeful medaling in nature is often quite limited. By purposeful I mean
trying to create positive impact on an ecosystem such as how wolves were
replaced in Yellow Stone National Park in the early 90’s. Judging by the effect
that the wolves had on the park we should continue to try to positively change
the environment we destroy.
The wolves are perhaps the greatest
example of a successful human intervention. But there are numerous examples of
failure of human intervention that ended in failure. Whether it was the
introduction of rabbits in Australia or the attempts to reintroduce moose to
the Adirondacks there are failures our history with nature. But despite these
failures we should still try.
Admittedly when the Rabbits were
introduced to Australia, the inhabitants didn’t fully understand that the niche
they were filling didn’t have natural predators. Today we understand the
intricacies of ecosystems. Before this understanding of nature we treated it as
a constant. The Rivers would always have fish and the forests would always be
full of trees. Because of this view a lot of damage was done to the environment
around the world. If you harmed someone without realizing it wouldn’t you try
to help that person once you learned you did hurt him or her? Now an argument
can be made that nature fills in the gaps herself. After all look at Coy Wolf
and White Tail deer populations. However I feel as though that, though this new
ecosystem functions, we have lost biodiversity. We should try to preserve
biodiversity, if for nothing else than to keep nature walks interesting. At
most we would make the ecosystem healthier than before.
Sources:
Stevens, Scott.
"Wolves Are Making Their Way Back Into The Adirondacks & New
England." Wolves Are Making Their Way Back Into The Adirondacks &
New England. Adirondack.net. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.adirondack.net/whatsnew/2011/10/wild-wolves-return.html>.
You make some interesting assertions that are often (as are most things) contradictory. Yes, we want to maintain diversity and ecosystem health, but where, when, and to what extent? You say that we "understand the intricacies of ecosystems," but I'm not convinced that's the case-- people are still doing a wealth of stupid things to the environment, and often these things are done in the name of conservation. Yes, I do think that we should minimize our impact on the environment, and that involves at times stepping back and letting nature recover without our intervention. Nature has this great quality where it is incredibly resilient. Evolution will cause a constant fluctuation of species dominance, but eventually, things will reach an equilibrium. Our job comes in recognizing our impact on the natural environment and living in an established equilibrium in which we have a role. The philosophy of the separate "unnatural" human world and "natural" biological world is flawed-- how can exist with a thing that we don't understand? There are no right answers, but it's something to think about.
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